Ask baby boomers about Certs and their immediate response will be (thanks to having watched 'way too much television commercials in their youth) that " ... it's two (click) two (click) two mints in one." So why mention this breath mint (No, it's a candy mint) at the very start of...

People who have previously visited Central Florida already know that it can sometimes get a trifle warm in this section of the Sunshine State. Well, come May 25th, Orlando's about to get a whole lot hotter. That's when Volcano Bay - Universal Orlando 's water theme park - officially opens...

Halloween is one of those holidays that lingers, isn't it? Whether it's all of those decorations that are still out in the yard (which you'll finally get around to taking down & packing away later this weekend ... right?) or that bowl of leftover Treat-or-Trick candy that you've been...

Seven years ago, Dale Mason - the Vice President and Executive Art Director at Universal Creative - had an idea. He wanted to do a water theme park. Not a water park, mind you. A water theme park. Something that would then move the whole water park experience to an entirely different level. "So...

Given that there are already Wizarding Worlds in Orlando & Osaka, why should Harry Potter fans now travel to Hollywood to experience the third theme park incarnation of that magical realm which J.K. Rowling dreamed up? Because -- as Professor Flitwick (who teaches the Charms class at Hogwarts School...

When Universal Studios Florida first opened its doors in June of 1990, the way they wowed theme park goers was with an animatronic E.T. Who -- thanks to the 5800 names this mechanical alien had in his data base -- could greet most people by name. Not to mention that 39 foot-tall animatronic King Kong...

For nearly 30 years now -- ever since King Kong Encounter was first added to Universal Studios Hollywood 's tram tour back in June of 1986 and that 7 ton, 30 foot-tall animatronic figure began blasting tourists with his banana breath -- theme park goers have been going ape for this massive movie...

With October 31st just a few days away now, millions of people are in the process of putting the finishing touches on their home Halloween displays. All with the hope that they'll then be able to impress the neighbors and/or thrill some trick-or-treaters when they come a-knockin' on All Hallows'...

Tomorrow night, "The Simpsons" kicks off its 27th season on Fox with an episode entitled "Every Man's Dream." Coincidentally, West Coast-based fans of this animated Fox animated comedy have been dreaming for decades now about getting the chance to visit Springfield (i.e., that...

For the past six months or so, guests staying at Universal's Cabana Bay Beach Resort have been looking their windows and watching as a mysterious mound of dirt grew ... Universal's Volcano Bay construction site in December of 2014. Photo by Jim Hill ... and grew. Universal's Volcano Bay construction...

For almost 40 years now, there have been King Kong-themed attractions at the Universal theme parks. Whether it was the King Kong Encounter which was added to Universal Studios Hollywood 's tram tour back in 1986 ... Copyright Universal Studios Hollywood. All rights reserved ... or the King Kongfrontation...

It's often been said that if you build a better mouse trap, the world will beat a path to your door. Harry Potter fans race up the red carpet to be among the first to experience The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley when this new "land" at Universal Studios officially opened...

With everyone else looking forward to tomorrow's grand opening of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley , it might seem kind of strange that Tom Williams -- the Chairman and CEO of Universal Parks & Resorts -- is using this exact same moment to look backwards. "But you have...

I know that stateside Harry Potter fans have been focusing on the upcoming opening of Diagon Alley at Universal Studios Florida ... Copyright Universal Orlando. All rights reserved ... while folks overseas have been counting down the days 'til The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal...

Let's cut to the chase here: " Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts " (i.e. the feature attraction for Diagon Alley , that new Harry Potter-themed land which will be opening at Universal Studios Florida later this summer) isn't just a thrill ride. It's really " Harry...

By now, you've probably already heard that Universal Studios Hollywood 's version of " Despicable Me Minion Mayhem " opened on Friday. Copyright 2014 Universal Studios. All rights reserved And as you might expect, there was the usual hoopla ... Gru is joined onstage by Miranda Cosgrove...

It seems kind of counte-rintuitive to use a plane to promote a train. But that's exactly what the Universal Orlando Resort did earlier this week. They jetted James & Oliver Phelps (AKA the two talented Brits who played Fred & George Weasley in the "Harry Potter" film series ) all...

There's not a stitch of clothes for sale at Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Not yet anyway. And the shelves at Borgin and Burkes are still bare as well. But none of that matters. Even though The Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley is still basically a construction site, there's...

So how exactly do theme park attractions get created? Well, if you're talking about the rides & shows found at the Disney Parks , those are mostly the work of Walt's fabled Imagineers. Or if you're talking about The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (which -- even as you read this -- is...

Tonight The Simpsons officially kicks off its 25th season on Fox . Normally on an auspicious occasion like this, you're supposed to raise a glass. But since we're looking to pay tribute to the longest running prime time series in US television history , shouldn't that glass be filled with...